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Police detain 446 ticket scalpers during Spring Festival

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-22 20:58

BEIJING: Chinese railway police have arrested 446 people for scalping train tickets during the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Ministry of Public Security said Monday.

During the seven-day holiday which ended February 19, railway police raided 47 dens scalping train tickets, the ministry said on its website.

Police arrested about 6,000 people for scalping train tickets and confiscated more than 27,000 tickets ahead of the Spring Festival, since the ministry launched the crackdown on January 21.

The Spring Festival fell on February 14 this year. It is the most important traditional Chinese festival for family reunions.

More than 29.6 million passengers travelled by train during the Spring Festival holiday from February 13 to February 19, up 11.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Railways (MOR).

The MOR estimated 2.54 billion journeys would be made during the 40-day rush period beginning January 30.